Nuclear Energy: Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Plants
In the current wake of globalization, the consumption of goods and services has gone high prompting the increase in the number of industries. As a result, energy consumption by industries has gone up. This has led to huge demand of energy to power industries and commercial activities. Nuclear energy is one of the most efficient sources of energy that has been used in the United State and other parts of the world. Nuclear energy is generated in nuclear plants where nuclear reactions are used to produce heat energy (Postel, 47). The heat produced steams water that in turn rotates electric turbines. Nuclear plants are classified according to the type of reactors used to produce the heat energy. In this article, types of nuclear plants are discussed. In addition, the essay identifies some of the advantages and disadvantages of using nuclear energy.
There are several ways of classifying nuclear plants. For the purpose of this research, I will classify nuclear plants according to their purpose. Military nuclear plants are used to generate energy for military use. For instance, the American warships have nuclear plants as important component. The plant powers the activities of the military. Research nuclear plants are used for the purpose of research and study. In the plant, students do their experiments, research and also training.
Lastly, commercial nuclear plants are used to generate energy to run industries and commercial activities. These plants generate the energy in order to sell energy to companies. Nuclear energy has low pollution. The energy does not emit any greenhouse gas and hence nuclear energy has the least effect on the environment. Nuclear energy has no effect on water, soil or air and hence it can be referred to as green energy (Postel, 48). The only time when gases are emitted is when nuclear reactors are being transported to various points.
Order custom essay Nuclear Energy: Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Plants with free plagiarism report
450+ experts on 30 subjects
Starting from 3 hours delivery
Nuclear energy is cheap when compared with other sources of energy. It is important to note that apart from the initial cost of plant constructions, there is no regular cost that is incurred. Nuclear reactors can last for years before they get exhausted and hence the energy is relatively cheap.
Similarly, nuclear energy is more reliable than electric energy. Sometimes, there are no enough waters in the river to turn hydroelectric turbines due to prolonged draught. This is not the case with nuclear energy. All what is required with nuclear energy is to replenish the reactors and energy production continues.
One of the major disadvantages of nuclear energy is the degradation of the environment as far as uranium mining is concerned (Bodansky, 115). Though nuclear energy generation is environmental friendly, the process of uranium excavation has raised serious concerns by environmentalist. Similarly, transportation of uranium cases environment pollution.
Uranium is radioactive and hence wastes related to uranium pose huge risks to the society. When uranium is not disposed properly, it can emit radiations that can cause serious harm to the people. As such, it poses a challenge to dispose radioactive wastes.
High initial cost has prevented many countries from setting up nuclear plants. It is estimated that a billion dollar may be required to set a nuclear plant. This implies that poor countries will live without such source of industrial energy. Other disadvantages include finite nature of uranium, many accidents in the plant and lack of experts in the field of nuclear energy.
Nuclear energy is one of the most important breakthroughs in the industrialization and globalization. In order to maximize its benefits, more research needs to be done so as to mitigate its disadvantages.
Works Cited
- Bodansky, David. Nuclear Energy Principles, Practices, and Prospects. New York: Springer, 2005. Print.
- Postel, Sandra." Nuclear Energy: An Introduction to the Concepts, Systems, and Applications of Nuclear Processes," Scientific American 284.2 (2014): 46-51.
Cite this Page
Nuclear Energy: Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Plants. (2023, Jun 23). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/nuclear-energy-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-nuclear-plants/
Run a free check or have your essay done for you
